Anesth. assistant surcharges

AN ACT Relating to making a technical correction to the 1
surcharges authorized for certified anesthesiologist assistants; and 2
amending RCW 18.71.310, 18.71D.020, and 43.70.110. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 18.71.310 and 2024 c 15 s 2 are each amended to read 5
as follows: 6
(1) The commission shall enter into a contract with the entity to 7
implement a physician health program. The commission may enter into a 8
contract with the entity for up to six years in length. The physician 9
health program may include any or all of the following:10
(a) Entering into relationships supportive of the physician 11
health program with professionals who provide either evaluation or 12
treatment services, or both; 13
(b) Receiving and assessing reports of suspected impairment from 14
any source; 15
(c) Intervening in cases of verified impairment, or in cases 16
where there is reasonable cause to suspect impairment;17
(d) Upon reasonable cause, referring suspected or verified 18
impaired physicians for evaluation or treatment; 19
(e) Monitoring the treatment and rehabilitation of participants 20
including those ordered by the commission; 21
Z-0501.1
SENATE BILL 5877
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Muzzall, Dozier, Nobles, and Riccelli; by request of
Washington State Medical Commission
Prefiled 12/12/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Health & Long-Term Care.
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(f) Providing monitoring and care management support of program 1
participants; 2
(g) Performing such other activities as agreed upon by the 3
commission and the entity; and 4
(h) Providing prevention and education services.5
(2) A contract entered into under subsection (1) of this section 6
shall be financed by a surcharge of $70 per year or equivalent on 7
each license renewal or issuance of a new license to be collected by 8
the department of health from every ((physician, surgeon, and 9
physician assistant licensed under this chapter )) practitioner under 10
the purview of the commission including, but not limited to, 11
physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants in 12
addition to other license fees. These ((moneys)) surcharges shall be 13
placed in the impaired physician account to be used solely to support 14
the physician health program. 15
(3) All funds in the impaired physician account shall be paid to 16
the contract entity within sixty days of deposit. 17
Sec. 2. RCW 18.71D.020 and 2024 c 362 s 2 are each amended to 18
read as follows: 19
(1) The commission shall adopt rules fixing the qualifications 20
and the educational and training requirements for licensure as an 21
anesthesiologist assistant. The requirements shall include completion 22
of an anesthesiologist assistant program accredited by the commission 23
on accreditation of allied health education programs, or successor 24
organization, and within one year successfully taking and passing an 25
examination administered by the national commission for the 26
certification of anesthesiologist assistants or other examination 27
approved by the commission. 28
(2) Applicants for licensure shall file an application with the 29
commission on a form prepared by the secretary with the approval of 30
the commission, detailing the education, training, and experience of 31
the applicant and such other information as the commission may 32
require. The application shall be accompanied by a fee determined by 33
the secretary as provided in RCW 43.70.250 and 43.70.280. A surcharge 34
of $70 per year shall be charged on each license renewal or issuance 35
of a new license to be collected by the department of health and 36
deposited into the impaired physician account for certified 37
anesthesiologist assistant participation in the physician health 38
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program. Each applicant shall furnish proof satisfactory to the 1
commission of the following: 2
(a) That the applicant has completed an accredited 3
anesthesiologist assistant program approved by the commission and is 4
eligible to take the examination approved by the commission; and5
(b) That the applicant is physically and mentally capable of 6
practicing as an anesthesiologist assistant with reasonable skill and 7
safety. The commission may require an applicant to submit to such 8
examination or examinations as it deems necessary to determine an 9
applicant's physical or mental capability, or both, to safely 10
practice as an anesthesiologist assistant. 11
(3)(a) The commission may approve, deny, or take other 12
disciplinary action upon the application for a license as provided in 13
the uniform disciplinary act, chapter 18.130 RCW. 14
(b) The license shall be renewed as determined under RCW 15
43.70.250 and 43.70.280. The commission shall request licensees to 16
submit information about their current professional practice at the 17
time of license renewal and licensees must provide the information 18
requested. 19
(4) No person shall practice as an anesthesiologist assistant or 20
represent that they are a "certified anesthesiologist assistant" or 21
"anesthesiologist assistant" or "C.A.A." or "A.A." without a license 22
granted by the commission. 23
Sec. 3. RCW 43.70.110 and 2025 c 19 s 1 are each amended to read 24
as follows: 25
(1) The secretary shall charge fees to the licensee for obtaining 26
a license. Physicians regulated pursuant to chapter 18.71 RCW who 27
reside and practice in Washington and obtain or renew a retired 28
active license are exempt from such fees. Municipal corporations 29
providing emergency medical care and transportation services pursuant 30
to chapter 18.73 RCW shall be exempt from such fees, provided that 31
such other emergency services shall only be charged for their pro 32
rata share of the cost of licensure and inspection, if appropriate. 33
The secretary may charge different fees for registered nurses 34
licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW, licensed practical nurses licensed 35
under chapter 18.79 RCW, and nurses who hold a valid multistate 36
license issued by the state of Washington under chapter 18.80 RCW. 37
The secretary may waive the fees when, in the discretion of the 38
secretary, the fees would not be in the best interest of public 39
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health and safety, or when the fees would be to the financial 1
disadvantage of the state. 2
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, fees 3
charged shall be based on, but shall not exceed, the cost to the 4
department for the licensure of the activity or class of activities 5
and may include costs of necessary inspection. 6
(3) License fees shall include amounts in addition to the cost of 7
licensure activities in the following circumstances:8
(a) For registered nurses and licensed practical nurses licensed 9
under chapter 18.79 RCW, and for nurses who hold a valid multistate 10
license issued by the state of Washington under chapter 18.80 RCW, 11
support of a central nursing resource center as provided in RCW 12
18.79.202; 13
(b) For all health care providers licensed under RCW 18.130.040, 14
the cost of regulatory activities for retired volunteer medical 15
worker licensees as provided in RCW 18.130.360; and16
(c) For ((physicians licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW, physician 17
assistants licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW)) every practitioner 18
under the purview of the Washington medical commission including, but 19
not limited to, physicians, physician assistants, anesthesiologist 20
assistants licensed by the Washington medical commission , osteopathic 21
physicians licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW, naturopaths licensed 22
under chapter 18.36A RCW, podiatrists licensed under chapter 18.22 23
RCW, chiropractors licensed under chapter 18.25 RCW, psychologists 24
and psychological associates licensed under chapter 18.83 RCW, 25
registered nurses and licensed practical nurses licensed under 26
chapter 18.79 RCW, nurses who hold a valid multistate license issued 27
by the state of Washington under chapter 18.80 RCW, optometrists 28
licensed under chapter 18.53 RCW, mental health counselors and mental 29
health counselor associates licensed under chapter 18.225 RCW, 30
massage therapists licensed under chapter 18.108 RCW, advanced social 31
workers licensed under chapter 18.225 RCW, independent clinical 32
social workers and independent clinical social worker associates 33
licensed under chapter 18.225 RCW, midwives licensed under chapter 34
18.50 RCW, marriage and family therapists and marriage and family 35
therapist associates licensed under chapter 18.225 RCW, occupational 36
therapists and occupational therapy assistants licensed under chapter 37
18.59 RCW, dietitians and nutritionists certified under chapter 38
18.138 RCW, speech-language pathologists licensed under chapter 18.35 39
RCW, acupuncturists or acupuncture and Eastern medicine practitioners 40
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licensed under chapter 18.06 RCW, and veterinarians and veterinary 1
technicians licensed under chapter 18.92 RCW, the license fees shall 2
include up to an additional twenty-five dollars to be transferred by 3
the department to the University of Washington for the purposes of 4
RCW 43.70.112. 5
(4) Department of health advisory committees may review fees 6
established by the secretary for licenses and comment upon the 7
appropriateness of the level of such fees. 8
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